Friends of the Legion come forward to help

By the end of the business day on Monday it’s expected that the sheriff’s sale planned for the Elk River American Legion will be called off.

Friends of the Elk River American Legion came through this past week with significant and generous donations. Nearly $3,700 was needed to stop the Sheriff’s sale.

The Sons of the American Legion (SAL) started it off in grand fashion with a $1,500 contribution, and the American Legion Auxiliary matched that amount. What’s more members of the Legion and other patrons of the popular community hub came forward with checks and a mixture of crisp and crinkled bills of varying values.

“That’s the community,” said Mike Beyer, the second vice commander of the Legion. “There’s a lot of good people here, and this place is important to the community.”

Plenty of work remains to keep the Legion afloat, starting with more than $5,000 in back taxes and the need for a business plan to carry the Legion well into the future.

That was one of the messages that came through loud and clear at a meeting of concerned community members and members of the Legion this past Monday. There seems to be plenty of support for the Legion throughout the community, provided there is a plan in place to sustain the business.

“We need a business plan put together by business men,” said Mike Leistico, a member of the SAL.

Beyer and Leistico were tasked two weeks ago with opening up lines of communication with The Bank of Elk River, and they have already met on a couple occasions to bring the bank information and to begin developing a game plan for moving forward.

“They’re working with us,” Beyer said of The Bank of Elk River.

The American Legion had its monthly membership meeting on Thursday, and there’s another community meeting planned for 7:30 p.m. on Monday at the Elk River American Legion, 525 Railroad Dr., to address next steps.

The mood and attendance at last night’s Friday night dinner was expected to be up, and the Legion is also sponsoring a golf tournament that was previously planned as a fund-raiser for Saturday, Oct. 15 at Pinewood Golf Course.

Hole sponsors are still being sought. The tournament will include a 11 a.m. shotgun start.

For more information about playing in the golf tournament or sponsoring a hole, call Leistico at 612-840-4638.